Dream Made Real
by AsphyxiaBronte
Summary: Movieverse: Logan returns to the mansion with no answers, more questions, and a new twist on his nightmares...My first fanfic! (PG for naughty words)
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah Marvel, blah blah blah lawsuit, go ahead, I'm an actress, my bank account is empty, baby!!!!

Okay, so here is the first fanfic that has made the transition from my journal to the teeming masses. There was much internal battle with making this is movieverse, but I feel the setup of this really works post-movie, post-Logan returning from Canada. Please R/R but be gentleI'm such a fragile soul

Dream Made Real, Chapter 1.

Movieverse: When Logan returns from the Alkali Lake with more questions than answers, his dreams take on a new character, whose identity will change things forever

Chapter One: 

He first saw her in the nightmares. The terrors that plagued his sleep for so many years, the fragments of memories, the terrifying images that woke him, shaking, sweating, raging. At first she was just another one of the shadows, another faceless tormentor, or so he thought. But every night she drew closer to where he was held, every night the lines of her face were more defined. Young, no more than a child of 8 or 9, looking at him with teary eyes, reaching her little hand to him, but every time he reached for her, the dream broke, and he flung himself awake, roaring and gasping for breath. The child's presence in the dreams had grown more intense since he returned from Canada, back from the Alkali lake that the Professor had told him might provide answers to the mystery of his past. 

"Jack shit is what it provided," he snarled internally. He had found nothing of any use, and came back to the mansion with more questions than he had left withand an even worse mood. They were pleased to see him return, Rogue especially, and Logan begrudged them the fact that secretly, he was glad to be back as well. The concept of belonging somewhere was still so foreign to him, and as much as he instinctually pushed that kindness and acceptance away, there was a part of him that craved it, welcomed it, and yearned for it when he was away. Not that he would ever let them know that.

That morning's nightmare had put him in a state not well received by the other inhabitants of Xaiver's. He charged past Ororo and Xavier at breakfast without a word, and nodded gruffly to Rogue, who rolled her eyes at the prospect of yet another day of Logan Rage. He even avoided Jean, who they had all come to depend on for bringing him into somewhat of a civil manner over the last weeks. He was violently adjusting the exhaust pipe on his new motorcycle when he smelled Scott behind him.

"Get the hell away from me, Summers."

Scott knew better, but just couldn't resist.

"Wake up on the wrong side of the cage again, Logan?"

Scott barely had time to duck as the wrench hurtled past his head. Snarling every obscenity he knew, Logan stomped into the grounds of the mansion, cursing everyone there for just being in his damn way. The lack of sleep was starting to get to him, and the images from the nightmares never left his mind. The little girljust another question, just another part of the hell. He seriously considered drinking a bottle or eight of Old Turkey, just to knock himself out. Deep, black sleephe craved it desperately.

That night he was asleep before he could even pull the sheet over him. Rogue peered into his room, relieved to see him in some sort of peace, however short the relief may be. As the night waned, a cold rain began falling hard, and the thunder incorporated itself into the terrifying images that flung his unconscious body around in the bed, moaning in agony and rage in his ever-restless sleep. And as she had every night for weeks, the small figure of the girl slowly approached, a tiny light amongst the looming, dark figures of torture, her sad face glowing white against her dark hair. Closer and closer she came, her eyes burned like blue flame, tears slowly gliding down her cheeks. She reached for him, and the bonds that held his arms fell away as he reached his rough, large hand towards her ethereal one. This is where the dream always broke, but tonight

"LoganLogan, I've looked for you for so long"

Her voice was like crystal windchimes. Logan didn't believe in angels, but if he did, he thought for sure this child would be one. In a sudden burst of power, he reached for her, and as their fingers touched, the light that surrounded the girl encompassed him as well, and he thought, in his half-conscious mind,

"I'm dead. She's takin' me away"

He was flung awake in a cold sweat, and still half-asleep, he tore out of the bed, blindly running through the mansion and out onto the grounds, the cold rain and mud making his bare feet slip as he ran. 

"Where the hell is she?"

He couldn't tell what was reality and what wasn't. All he knew was that he had to find her, real or not. He didn't know where he was running, but he clamored for sight of the little girl, tearing branches and brush away as he ripped through the woods, snarling, completely feral and desperate for the burning blue eyes.

She was silouetted in white light, tall, impossibly thin, a dripping shag of purple-black hair against glowing white skin. She was probably 20 years old or sobut the eyes were the same. She stood 10 feet in front of him, not moving, tears and rain combined on her cheeks. 

"Logan" the windchime voice was the sameIt was her. He felt it in his bones. The emotion he felt wasn't joy, nor rage, it was justoverwhelming. 

"Snikt!" He didn't mean for the claws to come out, it was just that his mind was spinninghe felt completely out of control. Still snarling, his hair in his face, bare feet caked with mud, he stood motionless, staring at the figure before him.

"LoganI can't believe you brought me home"

"


	2. Default Chapter Title

Dream Made Real, Chapter 2.  
  
Disclaimer a GoGo! I don't own X-Men or anything having to do with them. I DO own Karenina, and anyone thinking of using her without my permission better watch out, for I am VERY protective of her.  
  
  
CHAPTER 2.  
  
"Logan? Is it really you?"  
  
She stumbled toward him, her glowing eyes wild with exhaustion and pain. A feeling of dread overwhelmed Logan that he couldn't explain, and with an instinct just as powerful, the claws retracted back into his knuckles, and he reached for her like she was a child.  
  
"Logan? Oh god, I've been looking for you for so long..."  
  
She fell into his arms, and the same wave of energy that he had felt when they touched in the dream washed over him again, so strongly that he almost dropped her fragile body. It didn't make any sense, but when he touched her, it was as if they had known each other forever. She was inside him, in his mind, part of his instincts. He was genuinely afraid.  
  
"Who ARE you?" he growled in frustration, his tone of voice the opposite of the cradling way he held her. Her head shifted toward him, her eyes burning into his.  
  
"Stray...I can't believe I'm home..."  
  
And with that, the firey eyes closed, and her body fell limp in his arms.   
  
Completely dumbfounded, he lifted her feather-light frame in his strong arms and carried her to the mansion. Professor Xavier was already there when they reached the door.   
  
"Dear God...Karenina..." He stared at the girl's prone form. "Get her downstairs, quickly, Logan, where did you ever find her?"  
  
"I found HER? Who the hell IS she? One minute I'm asleep, and the next I'm outside in the goddamn rain and she's standing there like a flamin' wraith in the dark! Professor, she was in my dreams...she was in my damn mind...Who the hell IS SHE?"  
  
Logan was practically in a rage, but at the same time, he held her like a child, unconsciously clutching her like she was the most precious thing in his life. Professor X touched his arm.  
  
"Logan, I'll try to explain everything as well as I can...It's a long story."  
  
As Jean attended to the girl, (her only maladies proved to be exhaustion and mild hypothermia,) Logan and Xavier looked on.  
  
"She's called Karenina...She was a student here, three years ago. I found her on the streets of New York, living in shadows, completely alone, large portions of her memory gone. I found her, or rather, she found me, through telepathy. Karenina has one of the most advanced forms of telepathy I have ever seen...hyper-empathetic telepathy. That means not only can she read minds, but she feels what other people are feeling. And the telepathy is so powerful that she had practically no control over it. Every moment of the day, her mind was filled with the thoughts and feelings of other people. The noise was unbearable, not to mention the emotional strain."  
  
"You mean she was reading minds without meaning to?"  
  
"Exactly," the Professor said gravely. Imagine being in a crowded subway car, the thoughts and emotions of everyone in it racing through your head at full volume, with no way of turning it off. That's how 'Nina felt when her mutation took effect. What little we know of her life to age 20 was from the remains of old medical records at a mental institution called Greymount. Apparently when Nina started hearing thoughts and feelings, her parents had her committed. She has no memory of any of this. There are so many years she has lost."  
  
Logan's gaze shot to the girl. Her story was too much like his own. The missing years, the lost past...Xavier continued.  
  
"She doesn't know how long she was there, what they did to her, anything. All she knows is that somehow she escaped, and was living much like you were before you came here, day to day, with no memory of who she was. She had seen me in the city one day, saw who I was, and how I wanted to help mutants like her. She somehow got to the school one night and asked me for help."  
  
The professor smiled. "'Ask' may not be the correct term. She demanded it. The years of living with such a powerful mutation, with no direction or understanding of it had almost driven her mad. She was like an animal, screaming for me to help her, to make it stop, to give her peace at last."  
  
Logan looked at her still frame, and tried to imagine her delicate face in a rage. As familiar with rage as he was, he just couldn't see it. All there was was her peaceful, undeniably lovely face, the paleness of it stark against the unruly spikes of dark hair. The feeling she gave him was intense, far too intense for a stranger. He didn't like it. He felt powerless, confused...And Logan never felt powerless.  
  
"I gotta go," he growled, turning away.   
  
"Logan, what is it? Why does she put you so ill at ease?" The professor would know if he was lying, so Logan ignored him and walked away. He needed to get away, far away. But he had a feeling that it would take more than a motorcycle to get away from this girl.   
  
That night, he tried to stay awake as long as possible, and, near dawn, he finally fell into a black, dreamless sleep, as if someone was covering him in peaceful darkness.  
  
***********  
  
Copyright 2000, Asphyxia Bronte. 


	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: La la la Marvel owns X-Men and I own Karenina and everyone should respect that and get on with the story, for chrissakes!!! 

Dream Made Real, Chapter 3. 

The next day... 

Karenina sat across from the Professor, a devilish half-smile and her always glowing eyes making him shake his head. 

"We were worried about you," he frowned. 

"I know," she retorted, grinning. "But you knew I had to go, and there was no way anyone was stopping me. That's why you didn't come after me." 

Xavier nodded. They always had conversations like these, silent on the outside, the words all in their minds. He felt her growing even more concentrated, strong and precise. He had taught her everything he could about telepathy, and she had absorbed it all with great voracity, studying and strengthening herself. He felt that if she continued with her studies of control, there was no limit to what she could achieve. 

"I did exactly what you told me to do. I went where I felt I should...Back to the institution, or what's left of it..." 

She shivered. The energy of the gutted building was too much for her, even with all her control tactics. She hadn't made it past the gate before the ghostly voices and emotional agony was so deafening that she had to turn back. 

"Someday, 'Nina. Someday you'll be able to go back. I'll go with you." 

She nodded solemnly. It had been her greatest goal, and she had failed. She turned away in frustration. 

"So I did the next best thing. I found out as much about Greymount as I could. Its history...over a hundred years of lies and torture. I'm glad, now, that I don't remember it. And if my parents knew when they put me there..." 

She trailed off, her face a mask of pain and anger. Her parents were a subject she seldom spoke of. Their betrayal, and the subsequent events had shaped endless pain. 

"I found out a lot of secrets...Old employees that said one thing and thought another. They were almost impossible to find, but I did." 

She stopped, not ready to re-live what she had found out, and effectively blocking her thoughts to Xavier, as she felt him trying to see what she would not say. 

"Get out of there," she frowned. "It's just not time yet, okay?" 

Xavier nodded, respecting her wishes. She would tell him when it was time. 

"What I found there took me up north...an Alkali lake near the Rockies. So much energy...Professor, my god. There was more pain there than at the institution. It was beyond horrible. But that's when I started seeing his dreams." 

"Logan," Xavier nodded. "He asked about you this morning." 

Karenina smiled. "He must be pretty irritated with me, huh?" 

"It's just Logan's way. You've affected him pretty intensely." 

"He's affected me pretty intensely, too!" Karenina exclaimed, out loud this time. "I couldn't get this guy out of my head! From the minute I got to the lake, he was there. His dreams, his thoughts, Professor...I still don't know what happened to me, but I know...It happened to Logan, too. This is a mental connection I've never felt before. That's why I had to find him. It was all I could think about. He consumed my mind. So I let him lead me to him. And here I am." 

She smiled and leaned back in the chair. "Who'd think I had to go to Canada to get back here?" 

The professor smiled. He had always had a great affinity for Nina. She had so much fire in her, so much strength to have survived what she did...She was as close as a daughter to him. 

"I'm very glad you came back, Nina. You're far too thin, and you look like you haven't slept in weeks. We're all very glad you're home." 

"Yeah. I saw Jean and Scott this morning, and there are so many new kids...it's great. So...Do you think Logan will ever talk to me?" 

"I think Logan wants to talk to you very much. But this is all very new to him. He feels out of control with you, and Logan has a very hard time dealing with feelings like that." 

She nodded. "It's been very intense for me, too. Unique. I guess I just want to understand it, and he'd be just as contented to have it--and me--dissapear." 

Xavier smiled. "But that's just it. I don't think he wants you to go away. And that confuses him even more."   


********* 

Copyright 2000, Asphyxia Bronte 


	4. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Marvel owns everything and everyone but Karenina, who escaped from my twisted little mind. 

Dream Made Real, Chapter 4. 

It was questionable as to if the motorcycle's transmission had been broken before or after Logan had started violently working on it, cursing a blue streak and slamming tools on the floor of the garage. Although he had slept better than he had in weeks, the sudden peace was unnerving. It had to be her. And that meant she was still in his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about it, and her, but he wouldn't go to her. He didn't know what he would ever say. 

"I'm sorry, Logan." 

He stopped, staring at the concrete floor. The windchime voice was too familiar, too soft in his ears and in his mind. He smelled her standing nervously behind him. He still did not look at her. 

"How are you feeling?" 

He genuinely wanted to know, as angry and frustrated as he was. It was as if she was forcing him to be honest. She smiled softly behind him. 

"Much better, thank you. Thank you for everything last night, Logan. Really." 

"Don't worry about it," he growled. 

"Logan, I know that everything about me is strange to you. If it upset you, I am truly sorry. But I think I can explain...At least try to explain, if you'll let me." 

He turned to her, his eyes hard. 

"Yeah, I think you'd better do that." 

Crossing her thin legs under her, she sat on the cold floor, and pushed the dark purple hair out of her face. Looking up at him with the great, glowing eyes, she took a deep breath and began. 

"I don't know how much of this is going to make sense. I don't understand it either. Logan, the dreams...your nightmares. Whatever it is that they did to you, in that place you see every night...The pain, the stolen memories, the lost years..." 

She trailed off, stammering as his hidden pain resonated in her mind, the dream pain and terror he endured every night. She had to just say it. 

"Logan, what I'm trying to say is, whatever it is that happened to you...whatever it is they did...They did it to me, too." 

She pulled the collar of her shirt away and tore from her neck a chain. Clutching it in her trembling hand, Logan's eyes widened. It was a silver dog tag, identical to his own. The name read: STRAY 63077864. Her eyes glowed with intensity and grief. Her voice was a fierce whisper. 

"It happened to me, too." 

He slowly took the chain from her hand, as two tears trailed from her eyes. He stared at the tag, an exact replica of his, the only thing that held him to his past. She continued, her voice thick with emotion. 

"I haven't told anyone, not even the professor. I knew that you were the only one who would understand what this means." 

Logan silently pulled the chain from his neck. He clutched the two tags in his hand, not wanting to believe. Her voice echoed in his racing mind. 

"My parents committed me to a mental institution called Greymount when my mutation took effect...I was younger than most mutants are when their gifts show themselves, only seven or eight...I'm not sure exactly when. Anyway, Greymount...It was a front. A place where mutants could be registered and their powers documented--to control us. This happened in hospitals, institutions, prisons, anywhere records of physical and mental attributes could be recorded. They were a mask for secret organizations that kept illegal files on mutants. Those proven useful were sold to a government project to be...altered...into perfect weapons." 

"Altered..." Logan's voice was terribly low. 

"Yeah...like covered in adamantium..." 

She paused, her eyes telling her sorrow for his plight. He stared at her, motionless and silent. 

"Or made into a mind control center for mutant soldiers...To keep track of those in the field...Even if I felt everything they did...even when they were killed..." 

Endless agony was etched into her face. Logan thought of the tiny little girl in his dream and felt sick inside at the thought. 

"I found this out because I went to the lake...It must have been right after you left. I felt your presence there, your frustration at not finding the answers you sought...But I also felt your past there...and mine as well. That's when our dreams started melding...That's when it all started coming back." 

"Melding?" Logan suddenly asked. "Is that what that was?" 

She nodded. "Usually I can't meld with someone unless we've touched, but I guess it was the shared dream...or..." 

"Or what?" Logan retorted gruffly. She looked deeply into his intense eyes. 

"Or maybe...Maybe we have touched before. Maybe we knew each other...then." 

Logan didn't know what to say. It seemed impossible, totally insane, but it all matched up, the dog tags, the lost memories, the shared dreams...And there was something about her that made him believe...almost against his will. 

"Why should I believe you?" he said darkly. "Why should I believe any of this?" 

Her eyes were so sad. "Let me show you." 

She reached out and grabbed his rough hand in her tiny one. In an instant, Logan's mind was filled with images, the familiar ones of his own nightmares, interspersed with those of a young girl, her head held in a metal contraption, her eyes crazed with pain, the same shadowed figures and instruments of torture. Two tears slid down the girl's face, her mouth opened in a silent scream. It was the girl who reached to him in the dream, the same girl, years later, who clutched his hand now. A wave of anguish fell over both of them, as their hands wrenched apart with the shared cries of two tormented souls. Logan fell backward, staring in horrified amazement at Karenina, now crumpled on the floor, gasping, wracked with tears. Slowly he rose to his knees, not sure what to do. He gently reached for her. She was still crouched on the floor, crying softly, not seeing him. Sliently he put his arm around her. She tensed, then turned into the embrace, entwining her arms with his. They sat in the embrace, silent, unseen by anyone. 


	5. Default Chapter Title

Dream Made Real, Chapter 5. 

Disclaimer: Yawn. I don't own X-Men, no matter how much I wish I did. Karenina's mine, so don't let me catch her showing up anywhere without a permission slip. I'm a very strict mother.   


CHAPTER FIVE: 

Logan was running, trying to blow off some steam in the early morning hours, the campus of the school still dimly lit, and covered with mist. This was the second night without nightmares, and he was now beyond doubt that the cause of his respite had electric blue eyes and an unruly shag of purple-black hair. Thinking of her made him run faster, but was he running towards or away from her? She was always on his mind now, the image of the little girl holding his hand as the world fell apart around them, now a woman with lifetimes of pain in her eyes. He could still feel her thin, strong arms around him as they sat in the garage, dizzy from the shared memories and mute from the emotional strain. He didn't know how long they had sat there in the fierce embrace, but he knew he had a very hard time letting go. That night, he had quietly looked in on her as she slept, delicate and angelic against the white sheets, the years of torment unrecognizable on her sleeping face. Still he longed to hold her again, although he didn't know exactly why. Was it the child he wanted to protect, or the woman he wanted to embrace? Just more confusion, another puzzle entwined into the mystery of his past. And still there were no answers. No answersbut at least now he was not alone with his questions. 

"Morning, Logan" 

The voice from above startled him so much that he immediately tripped over a root and fell ass over head onto the damp ground. Landing flat on his back, snarling a string of expletives, he saw the origin of the greeting--High in the tree above, two skinny legs, encased in torn jeans and combat boots, swung amusedly. In one hand she held a book, in the other an apple, as she grinned at his sprawled body below her. Pulling off the hood of her tattered black sweatshirt, (one sleeve was held together completely with safety pins, and the zipper down the front had been broken for years) the mess of purple spikes fell into her eyes as she leaned down out of the branches, trying not to laugh.   


"Uh, sorryAre you okay?" Her voice chimed out, quaking with giggles. He scowled upwards at her, raising an eyebrow as he got to his feet. 

"What the hell are you doing up there? Lying in wait like a flamin' vulture?" 

"Not at all. That was just an added bonus," she said, tucking the book into the pocket of her sweatshirt and holding the apple in her mouth. She hopped out of the tree, landing next to Logan, whose scowl did not change at her show of acrobatics. "I like climbing trees. I got the idea from a book--Little Women. One of the characters is always reading books and eating apples in a tree. I thought it was a great idea." 

"You read a lot?" Logan asked, a bit less harsh, now that he was face to face with her and could look into her eyes. 

"As much as I can. Even got my name from a book--Anna Karenina. But no one's called me that for a long time, since I left here. I usually go by Stray." 

"Why Stray?" 

"Dunno. Seems appropriate, seeing that I never seem to stick around one place for long but I couldn't tell you how it came to be. Seems like I've always had this." She pulled absentmindedly on the chain holding the dog tag. 

"Yeah," Logan replied quietly. 

"So what are you doing out so early?" They began walking down the wooded path together. She began hesitantly, waiting for him to tell her to leave him alone, but the growl never came. 

"I guess I like getting out alone before the madness in there starts...It's nice and all, living here, but a guy's gotta have some time alone, ya know?" 

She nodded. "It's hard, after living alone for so long, to get used to a place like this...I had forgotten how many people are always around..." 

He looked at her strangely. "You were away for a long time, weren't you?" 

"Yeah," Nina affirmed, taking the last bite of her apple and tossing the core into the woods. "Better part of three years. Seems like forever and no time at all, if that makes any sense."

"Three years? Ya can't tell me that you were went to some institution and a lake in Canada and it took you three years!" 

Nina stopped walking and looked at him like he was a deeply confused child. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "I did a few other things along the way, Logan." 

Disliking her contempt, he stared her down. "So what did you do?" 

She grinned, her eyes flashing in the growing sunlight. "Oh, a number of things...Traveled the country...Met a lot of people, other mutants...Had my share of adventures, I assure you, mon ami. I'm sure you have your share of stories as well...Am I right?" 

He ignored her question. "What, you learn French along the way? While you were in Canada?" 

"Nah, other direction," she replied, shaking her head and laughing. "I met some...very interesting people in New Orleans. They taught me a lot. Very useful things to know when you're travelling by your wits alone. But more than anything I learned about people. I had never been able to get close to anyone because the thoughts and feelings were always screaming through my mind. Being able to just have a conversation with someone was incredible...new. I wanted to meet as many people as I couldEnded up setting quite a network of friends around the country--And a few enemies as well, I'm sure."

There was something in her eyes that said chapters more than her words. Logan felt there was a lot that she was coyly talking around, her "adventures" and the mention of enemies. Stray hadn't spent three years sightseeing, that's for damn sure. He watched her as they talked and walked. She was very animated, talking with her hands, kicking stones, pulling on low branches as they passed under them. But as quick as she was with a laugh or sarcastic comment, Logan could only see her eyes, the flame of the blue offset by the deep shadows that encircled them. She could laugh all she wanted, but the shadows would always make her look like she could cry at any moment. He was staring, staring too damn long, his head filled with her scent, mixed with the musk of wet leaves. Her voice faded into the crystalline chimes he had first heard in his dreamDammit! What the hell was happening? He squeezed his eyes shut and shook himself back into reality. She had stopped, and was looking at him with furrowed brows. She felt his confusion, his frustration at her presence. 

"LoganAm I upsetting you? I can rattle on forever, I'm sorryYou came out here to be alone"

"No!" The forcefulness of his voice startled even him. "No, that's not itIt's just, Karenina"

The way he softly growled her name made her suddenly shiver. He took her hands in his, the contrast of his large, rough hands made hers look even whiter and more fragile than before. His face was troubled, the lines around his eyes more pronounced. She gently squeezed his hands.

"KareninaI can't stop thinkin' about yesterday. All that you said, all that I saw through your eyes. And I know it's you keepin' the nightmares awayIt's just that, well, darlinthis is all just really intenseI just don't know what to say sometimes, is all"

She smiled softly, amazed and touched that he would open up like that to her after the events of the last two days. Stepping closer to him and gripping his hands, she spoke almost in a whisper,

"Then don't say anything at all."

They walked in silence together until the sun was high, hand in hand.

Copyright 2000, AsphyxiaBronte  



	6. Default Chapter Title

Aftershock of an Attempted Murder.Part 5.

Disclaimer: _(Nik Nak comes in with a gun pointed to her back and talks robotically)_ I do not own any of the characters mentioned, the concept or the worlds. Just the plot and anyone I made up.

A/N: Final showdown time and this is the last part of this fic, but there will be more. Oh yes, I've got bigger plans for a certain couple. Oh no I've said too much!! To the Nik-Nak mobile, away!!!

Alley had thought hard about her decision, not long because she didn't have that kind of time. Although this might kill her, it would give her friends a chance to live and to win this fight fairly. She could just imagine Vegeta's reaction if she defeated the 'baddie' and saved the day. She powered up to give the final attack despite the cries behind her telling her not too. The aura around her grew larger and larger. At the last second, an idea sprung into Ash's head. He concentrated hard and gave some of his energy to her.

"ULTIMATE PSYBEAM ATTACK!!!!" 

She screamed as a huge ray of multicoloured energy hit El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ knocking the senses out of him, literally, falling to the ground barely conscious. Alley took her hands away from her head, breathing heavily. She couldn't keep up her energy anymore and fell to the ground. The Z senshi, Ash and Misty found themselves free from the invisible cell that held them, but all of them were still very exhausted and badly beaten up. Ash hoppled to Alley's side and tried to wake her up. But no luck. This had happened to him once before and he felt as if he were gonna explode with anger. Misty looked on with her eyes brimming with tears. She may not have gotten on well with Alley but she liked her all the same. Pan could feel tears running down her cheeks as she looked at Ash trying to wake up Alley. Apart from Bra, Alley was Pan's best friend. She was like a big sister to her. Goku, Krillin and Piccolo bowed their heads to show respect because they really didn't know Alley well enough. Trunks just looked horrified and stood in awe. Gohan was in shock; she had ended her life just to save them and he didn't even know the reason why. No one had noticed that Goten was fuming with rage. He had fallen in love with her and just when he realised it she died. There was just something about her that he couldn't put his finger on… El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ slowly rose to his feet not knowing what was in store for him. Unfortunately for him, he groaned when he got up and everyone turned to look at him. Ash slowly put Alley down and walked towards El Peligro _(whip cracks)_, looked him in the eye and punched him so hard it sent him flying.

"You malicious, despicable, merciless son of a bitch!" Ash seethed through his teeth. El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ should have played dead, but like the idiot he is he got up again. This time Misty went against him. El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ laughed.

"You're just a stupid little girl, I'm not afraid of you!" El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ smiled, showing that all of his teeth were missing because of the punch Ash gave him. Misty growled and her face lit up.

"That's it!!" She exclaimed whipping out her 'trusty mallet' from who knows where and knocked him down. She laughed softly. "Game, set and match. That's for Alley ya bastard!" El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ again staggered to get up, but got up none the less. Goten was getting more pissed off by the minute. He was about to go and pummel El Peligro's _(whip cracks)_ face in but a hand grabbed him from behind. It was Pan.

"Uncle, you need to calm down!" Pan pleaded. Goten brushed her off but knew she was right. An idea formed in Son Pan's head.

"Hey! I have an idea!"

"Well, that would be a first!" Trunks snorted. Pan ignored him and walked over to her grandfather. She knew that everyone was rather weak but a group attack just might work. She motioned the idea to her grandfather and Goku nodded showing his approval, but he said that he wanted to do something first. He turned to face El Peligro _(whip cracks)_.

"If you promise to leave this planet and never return then no harm will come to you! Just leave and never return!" Goku said. Everyone face faulted.

"ARE YOU CRAZY KAKARROT?!!! HAVE YOU LOST WHAT LITTLE MIND YOU HAVE?!!" Vegeta shouted, clearly gob smacked at what Goku had just said. 

"Dad, not again!" Gohan said, shaking his head.

"What?" Goku said defensively "It's standard procedure!! I always have to do this!" Everyone face faulted again. Everyone got into their fighting stances and powered up the energy that they had left.

"FINAL FLASH!!" Vegeta, Ash and Misty shouted out.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…HA!!!" Goku, Goten and Krillin shouted out.

"MASENKO!!" Gohan, Trunks and Pan shouted out.

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON FIRE!!" Piccolo shouted out. El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ screamed as the attacks engulfed him. He was defeated they had won. Everyone waited a while just to make sure that he didn't get up again, they were sure that he was dead. Ash and Misty embraced each other with a kiss, while everyone else looked rather pleased with themselves. A faint clapping was heard in the distance. The group turned around to see Alley propped up against a large rock applauding them.

"_(Posh British accent)_ Bravo! Bravo! An extraordinary performance!" She said.

"NANI?!" They all shouted. (Urge to kill; rising, rising…)

"Yes, I'm alive. You know Ash, you should have checked my pulse I was just unconscious. Just another reason to add to the list of 'Why Ash will never be a doctor'." Ash didn't know whether to kill her or to hug her. Thankfully for her he chose the latter. He engulfed her in a bear hug.

"Ash, Hon, I still ache all over!" She replied croakily. "Thanks." She whispered. He sheepishly rubbed his head behind his head. "Sorry!" He helped her up, but no sooner had her buttocks left the ground she was ambushed by all of the part Saiya-Jins kids. Shouts of "I'm so glad you're okay!", "Don't ever scare me like that again!" and "Egads!" stood out from the scene. Goku looked on and laughed at the whole thing.

# Back at Bulma's, two days later…

"Bulma, I'm fine!" Alley protested.

"No, you're not! Believe me, I've seen enough injuries to know." Bulma protested putting Alley's arm in a sling.

"But it's nothing serious!"

"Ha! Alley, you have two broken ribs, a fractured arm and that wound on your stomach hadn't fully recovered so now it's worse! I'd give you a senzu but Korrin is fresh out!" Alley stuck out her lower lip and snorted. "Okay, I'll take it easy!" She walked out of the lab and went into the main house.

"I swear, that girl is just like her mother." Bulma sighed. Alley walked into the room and saw Trunks and Pan watching TV. She smiled.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Alley said making Pan blush and Trunks gave her a weird look.

"What are you talking about?" Trunks asked suspiciously but she said nothing and walked off laughing. He then heard her mutter that 'Gohan's gonna kill you!'.

"What do you mean by that?" He shouted which only made her laugh more. He shook his head and went back to watching TV. Alley walked back to the house that she was staying in. All of her stuff was packed and ready to go. She smiled as she felt a pair of strong arms grab her waist from behind and kiss her on the cheek. 

"Hey gorgeous." He purred into her ear.

"Hey sweetie." Goten spun her around so that she was facing him. He looked into her eyes pleadingly and stuck out his lip.

"Do you have to go?" He asked.

"Yes, I wish I could stay but I have to go to my grandparent's funeral. You know that." She said mock punching him in the arm. He pretended to die and fall on the couch.

"I wish it didn't have to end like this, y'know." She said as she went and sat next to him laying on his chest.

"It doesn't have to." He said as he stroked her hair.

"We both know long distance relationships don't work. Remember last time we tried…" He got up off the couch and grabbed her hand.

"Then stay here with me! Please Alley!"

"I'd love to but what would I do! I've haven't finished high school and the only thing I'd have on my resume would be 'Pokémon trainer'!"

"You're being too negative about this!" Goten said as he got up.

"Well one of us has to look at things with perspective!" She countered.

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Oh, for the love of…I never said that!"

"That's what you were implying!"

"I was not!"

"You were too!"

"This is becoming tedious!"

"There you go again. Using big words thinking I don't understand! Well I do!"

"Well bully for you!" She grabbed her bags and walked out to where Ash and Misty were waiting in the car. Everyone was waiting ready to say goodbye to Alley. 

"I'll miss you Alley!" Pan said as she hugged her.

"I'll miss you too, Pan-chan!" She said. She went into the car and waved goodbye.

"Goten, what's up?" Trunks asked him.

"Nothing. Not anymore." He replied sadly as he watched her go. Alley didn't look back, because she knew that she would jump out of the car and run back to him if she did. Misty gave her a squeeze on the hand.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Misty asked.

"If I can survive getting shot twice, a coma and El Peligro _(whip cracks)_ then I think I can survive this." She replied with a smile.

# At the funeral…

Alley had just finished giving her eulogy about her grandparents. It was so moving that everyone had tears in their eyes except Alley. All of his life that he knew her Ash had never seen Alley cry. When her mother died he never saw her cry, of course she was upset but she didn't cry. She sat next to him waiting for the caskets to be buried. He looked over at her and noticed she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. 

"How come you're not wearing your sunglasses?" He asked her.

"Special request." She replied.

# A couple of weeks later…

Alley was asked by Ash's mom to stay with them until she was old enough to get her own place. There were so many things that were depressing her lately. Her break up with Goten, which she still didn't understand, her grandparents' death. She was glad that Ash was going to set out on his Pokémon journey today and she was going with him. Misty and Brock were also coming along. She went downstairs and saw that Ash was gulping down his breakfast while his mother was giving him some last minute advice. Alley picked up the post that had fell through the door, she read a letter that was addressed to both her and Ash. She skimmed through it and her face became pale…

"NANI?!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. (Oy, not again!) Ash came skidding in from the kitchen.

"What? what's the matter?"

"Read!!" He read through the letter and thought he was going to have a cardiac arrest.

"I don't believe it!" 

"What's wrong?" Ash's mom asked.

"The letter…it says that we haaaa_(swallows)_…we haaaave to go to school!" Ash exclaimed.

"Really?!"

"Yes! Apparently someone complained that Pokémon training was just a hobby and not a career and that a selected few that are between 16 and 18 has to go to the University of Cerulean City and get a high school diploma! Oh I think I'm gonna heave!" Ash cried.

"NO! NO! NO!! I DON'T WANNA GO BACK TO THAT HELL HOLE!!" Alley cried getting stares from Ash and his mom. Misty and Brock came in the door with Misty in hysterics.

"I can't go to high school! I never even went to junior high!!" She exclaimed.

"HA! This one of those times when I'm glad to be old!" Brock exclaimed.

"SHUT UP BROCK!" The three young ones exclaimed but Brock just laughed. Of course it wasn't only them who had been told to go to this college, it was most of the kids that Ash met up with. Gary, Ritchie, Snap, Tracey, Giselle, Joe, Duplica, AJ just to mention a few. They were all told to gather there the next day.

# At the University of Cerulean City…

The kids were seated in the auditorium waiting for someone to show up and tell them what was up. Most of the teens were unhappy that they had to come to school.

"I can't believe we have to go to school!" Ash shouted enraged.

"This sucks!" Misty exclaimed.

"I'm starting to wish that I had died!" Alley said sadly.

"Well it can't get any worse than this." Snap stated. As if on cue, Gary Oak walked up to Ash and co.

"Well, if it isn't Ash and his motley crew!" Gary exclaimed.

"This is getting _really_ old! Don't you have a life?" Alley asked.

"Well same to you but more of it!" He replied.

"Oh please!" Misty huffed. Gary stalked off as everyone laughed at him. Their attention was turned to a middle aged man who was standing at the podium, he hushed for them to be quiet. 

"Hello! I have assembled you here today for reasons you already know of. You will be starting school on Monday. Now before you start moaning and whining, this will not be a formal college. More like a high school for big kids. You will have courses that I set for you in the first year and then you will be free to choose what courses you want. Now, any questions?" Alley put her hand up.

"Did a guy by the name of Trunks have anything to do with this?"

"No." He replied.

"Damn. How 'bout Piccolo?"

"No…"

"Ah well!" She replied.

## Monday morning…

Everyone was given the same homeroom numbers cause there was only a few people in the class, locker combinations and schedules. Everyone had the same subjects. For first period: Gym.

"Oh no!" Giselle whined.

"Alright!" Ash and Alley said as they high-fived each other.

# Meanwhile, at Orange Star High…

"Cheer up man! You'll be fine!" Trunks assured his friend.

"Yeah right! I have to go through senior year without my best friend." Goten said.

"No you won't! I'm repeating this year because I failed home ec."

"You took home ec?"

"It was a bet. That I lost by the way."

"Cool."

"Listen, I know that you're sad about Alley but there are plenty of fish in the sea!"

"But I don't want fish." Trunks face faulted.

"It was a metaphor. I'm surprised you don't have to repeat a grade."

"If I did I think my mom would have a heart attack!" Goten joked. They walked into homeroom and waited for the teacher to arrive. Goten sat down and noticed that a beautiful girl was staring at him, she then blushed and turned away. Goten smiled as Trunks patted him on the back.

"See I told ya!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Trunks, I'm gonna go get me a fish!" Trunks face faulted.

# University of Cerulean City…

"Ready to lose, spitwad!" Alley was standing face to face with Gary. 

"More ready than you'll ever be!" He countered and she sweat dropped. The gym teacher blew his whistle and threw the basketball up in the air. Alley jumped up with great ease and caught the ball, she dribbled down the court and then passed it to Misty. Misty caught the ball and started dribbling. She saw that Snap and Duplica were blocking her only way of getting the shot so she ran until she was face to face with them and then jumped, or should I say flew, only to have the shot blocked by Ash. Ash ran as fast as his legs could carry him, of course being the way that he is he didn't pass it to anybody and tried to make the shot himself. He was by the three-point line when Alley zanzokened in front of him, took the ball, stood long enough to grin at him and then sped off in the other direction. She went to the two-point line and scored a basket.

"Yes!" She shouted punching the air.

"Alright Alley!" Misty said as she high-fived her.

"With the skills I got, I should be arrested!" She said but her face saddened.

"What's up?"

"Goten always used to say that."

"C'mon, you need to cheer up! Maybe even grab yourself another guy!" Misty said trying to make her feel better.

"I suppose."

"Hey, are you two ladies gonna yak or are ya gonna play?" The gym teacher asked furiously.

"He reminds me of my 7th grade Math teacher!" Alley whispered which made Misty laugh.

"Oh! Those two think they're all that! Well, I'll fix them good!" Giselle said rubbing her hands menacingly.

"I dunno Gis. Alley and Mist are okay. You just have to give them a chance a…is Alley flirting with Snap?" Duplica asked sceptically. Alley was talking to Snap and he was laughing at a joke she just told him. "Grrr."

"Sheesh!! Alley's not getting a good rep with the girls, is she Trace?" Ritchie asked.

"Nope. From my observations I'd say that they hate her a lot." Tracey replied.

"It's always been like that. Girls never like Alley because they're jealous. She's a lot less uptight than most girls and she doesn't PMS as much either." Ash replied. The two boys gave him weird looks. "WHAT? She's my sister!_(Gets more strange looks)_ Adoptive!!" The two guys just laughed.

# Orange Star High…

Goten walked up to the girl who had been staring at him in homeroom. It had taken him all day to work up the nerve to ask her out on a date. He had to make sure that he wasn't doing this to spite Alley or if he was on rebound. He shook those thoughts out of his head and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, hi!" He said flashing the Son smile.

"Oh, hello!"

"My name's Son Goten." He said offering his hand.

"My name is Paris." (Heh, I'm evil!)

"Wow, that's a beautiful name!" He said quickly regretting it and blushed. Paris laughed at that. He rubbed his hand behind his head sheepishly.

"I was wondering. Would you like to go out some time? Y'know, on a date?"

"I'd love to Son Goten!" She said as she walked out of the school gates with Goten not far behind. **Hook, line and sinker** He thought to himself.

# Cerulean…

"It is the first day in school and you've already been sent to my office!! You two need to grow up and set your differences aside!" The Principal shouted. Ash and Gary were in the office because they had got into a fight. Ash didn't have a scratch on him but Gary had a busted lip and a black eye. "If I see you two in here again there'll be heck to pay!! Now go!!" The two boys exited. Next in line to enter the office was Giselle, Misty, Duplica and Alley. All four girls were covered in black smudges. The principal looked at them and cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid to ask this but what happened?"

"Well these two losers didn't know what they were doing in chemistry class!" Giselle said indicating Misty and Alley.

"We didn't know!! We saw you sabotage our experiment!" Misty cried.

"We did not!! You are such a liar!" Duplica cried.

"Take that back ya bitch!" Alley said.

"Oh so you want to be startin' something?" Duplica countered.

"Bring it on, copy cat!" Alley said.

"GIRLS!!!!" The principal shouted. "A weeks detention for all of you!" he shouted and they left the office. "Oh I don't know what I've gotten myself into!!

THE END.

NN: That's the end of the story! Yes I know there are a few things that have been left unsettled and I know that the way Alley and Goten broke up was stupid but…as Gohan said I have absolutely no way of finishing that sentence. Opinions people? Flames telling me I shouldn't have broke them up? Or good comments telling me it was a good idea to break them up? Fill in the form below.

Veg: That was a shameless plug.

NN: So?

Veg: How come I wasn't a main character in this fic?

NN: Don't worry, I have plans for you! MMMWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! To the Nik-Nak mobile, away!

Veg: What a strange human! She's almost as stupid as Kakarrot! 


	7. Default Chapter Title

Dream Made Real, Chapter 6.  
  
Disclaimer: X-Men is to Marvel as Karenina is to Me. Discuss this analogy. And please, please R/R...I get paranoid and don't want to write more if I think no one is digging it...  
  
  
CHAPTER 6:  
  
  
Their eyes were locked. His dark ones, shadowed, offset by heavy brows and deep lines,   
hers electric, vibrant blue, the color moving like a flame. They were on their haunches,   
breathing deep. Her heart fluttered, his muscles braced.   
  
"Do it now, Logan,"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Do it. Trust me."  
  
SNIKT!  
  
He lept at her with a feral growl, claws extended. She expertly lept out of the way,   
hopping behind him, then vaulting into a tree as he lunged for her again. As the claws   
sliced through the branch, she backflipped onto the ground, snatching up the fallen branch   
and clotheslining the back of his knees. As he slammed onto the ground, she grabbed   
another branch of the now-mangled tree and flipped into it, perched like a bird, grinning   
at him as he snarled and swore.  
  
"Told you I could take care of myself."  
  
"I never doubted you, darlin', I just didn't expect THAT kinda takin' care of yerself." He   
stood up, clearly irritated by the lightning-fast spar, mostly because although she had   
never attacked, he hadn't been able to get near her. She stayed in the tree, sensing his   
irritation with her. Perhaps she should keep her distance for a little longer.  
  
"It has less to do with physical prowess and more to do with knowing what you're going   
to do before you do it."  
  
"I have a hard time believin' that. Sparring is instinct, darlin. Ain't something I think   
about before I do it."  
  
"But you do!" She exclaimed, swinging her feet. "You just don't know you do. Instinctual   
thoughts are even more powerful than conscious decisions. I can feel your instincts, how   
you smell me, sense me. It's amazing, your adrenaline. I wouldn't want to meet you in a   
dark alley, that's for damn sure."  
  
"Kept me out of lotsa scrapes. Gotten me into a few as well. More than a few. Bur I   
never saw anyone move outta the way before I even start at em...Interesting fightin'   
style."  
  
"My mutation didn't involve super-strength or healing powers. A girl's gotta take care of   
herself any way she can, you know? I live by the theory of "you can't beat what you   
can't catch." I guess it's kinda cheating, but I'm not known for always playing fair."  
  
Logan nodded. He was sure that Karenina had gotten into more than her share of scrapes   
in her day. Her smartass mouth could easily override her sweet face when she wanted it   
to. The enemies she admitted to acquiring during her travels could very well have been   
deserved.   
  
"So is that enough proof for you?" She looked at him intently.  
  
"Enough proof for what?"   
  
"Logan, I know you're leaving tomorrow. To go back to the lake. And the institution. It's   
been all you've been thinking about for days now, ever since I told you. You're going to   
see for yourself, to see if there was anything at the lake that you missed. And you weren't   
going to tell me about it."  
  
He looked at the ground. She was right, everything she said was true. Ever since the   
night in the garage when he had seen her memories, the exact replica of his dreams, he   
had been planning to go. He must have missed something there, if she said that the lake   
was full of terrible images and energy, there had to be something tangible that he could   
find. Something that had real answers. The institution was another story. He just wanted   
to see where she had lived, where it was that she got the permanent shadows under her   
eyes, where parents could imprison a child because she was different. He just needed to   
see it. And he wasn't going to tell her, because he didn't want her to have to re-live those   
feelings again. He wasn't going to put her through that for his own curiosity.  
  
"Nina, it's just...Dammit, will you stop staring at me like the goddamn Cheshire Cat and   
get out of that tree?"  
  
She slipped off the branch, landing softly next to him. Her eyes burning into his, she   
spoke quietly.  
  
"Well? I'm not a child, Logan. And I'm no angel. You don't have to protect me from   
anything. I never asked you to, and I never would."   
  
"Nina, I knew you'd want to come with me. And I don't want you to. I saw what that place   
did to you, and I don't want you to put yourself through that again. It's not right. I don't have your psychic sight, it won't affect me like it does to you. I just don't want that flamin' place to hurt you anymore. Let me go see it myself. I really don't want you to come with me, darlin."  
  
"Well, you can forget it," her eyes were hard. "I'm going with you, and even if you throw   
me off the back of the motorcycle, I'll still follow you. I have as much rage about our pastas you do, and if there's even a chance of us finding anyone, anything responsible for it, I'm going to be there to kill them in the most painful way possible. You can't stop me,   
Logan."  
  
He jammed his hands into his pockets and stared at her fiercely.  
  
"Yeah. I figured that. You know, you shouldn't talk so easily about killin'. Once you do   
it, there's no going back. Yer never the same, ya know."  
  
Every emotion drained out of her face as her eyes dulled to hard, blue rocks. "What   
makes you so sure I haven't killed already, Logan? That I don't already know there's no   
going back? What exactly makes you so damn sure?"  
  
He walked away. He walked away before he roared in her face, stuck a claw in her throat,   
or knocked her flat on her skinny ass. He was furious at her, pissed at himself for not   
being firmer with her, furious at the connection between them. Half of him wanted to   
hold her forever, the other half wanted to smash her teeth in. He didn't need this shit, and he didn't want it. Upon returning to the mansion, he threw some clothes in a bag and   
hopped on his motorcycle, taking off without a word to anyone. So she would follow   
him. That didn't mean he had to make it easy for her.   
  
"To hell with her," he muttered to the wind.  
  
Back in the woods, Nina saw him leave. Her eyes wild with rage, she bolted back to the   
mansion, careful to avoid everyone, as she grabbed her weather-beaten backpack and   
slipped into the garage. She wasn't really stealing a car, she was borrowing it. She had   
every intention of bringing it back. Borrowing it. That's what she would tell Xavier when   
she got back. As the engine roared to life, she made a mental note to thank those boys in   
New Orleans for the lesson in hotwiring, if she ever got back down there. Good   
boys...They had taught her a lot. Sliding her black cat-eye sunglasses on, she smirked,   
and skidded out of the garage, Black Sabbath blasting through the speakers. Tune it all   
out, she thought. All the emotions, all the connections with Logan, the Professor, this   
place...It wasn't the time. This was the time for revenge, violence, payback. Her lessons   
in mind control were well used that day, as she tuned into Logan's thoughts, following a   
few miles behind him as he headed north. Nothing but revenge mattered now.   
Frustration, tears...There would be plenty of time for that afterward. After they were all   
dead. The little girl reaching out to Logan wasn't there today. Today it was a tall slip of a woman, unruly shards of hair always in her grim face, her unnaturally blue eyes   
shielded in the same black as her worn to pieces clothes. Today, she was a warrior. And   
warriors had no time for tears.   
  
"Fuck em...Fuck em all."  
  
*****************************************  
  
Copyright 2000, Asphyxia Bronte.  



	8. Default Chapter Title

DREAM MADE REAL: CHAPTER 7.

Disclaimer: Marvel owns everything but Nina. She's 100% my insanity.

PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I was sooooo bummed last time

Chapter 7: Logan noticed that the air was steadily growing colder as he drove unknown hours north. He knew these backroads so well he could probably drive them in his sleep. Sleep. He should probably do that, before he ended up wrapping the motorcycle around a tree. He didn't know what time it was, but it had been dark for some time. Best to camp now. Not that he was expecting a restful night, by far. If Nina had been able to take the nightmares away, he was certain that he could inflict them on him ten times worse, now that he was on her shit list. He was sure that he was in for quite a ride tonight. She was close, too. He could smell her. And he was sure she knew it, too.

"You might as well come out, Nina," he called out into the night. No sense in ignoring the obvious. There was no answer. She was clearly ignoring him. 

"This is stupid, Karenina! I know yer there, and ya know I know. Just come over here before ya freeze to death!"

Nothing. Just the wind and the soft sounds of the forest.

"Stubborn bitch."

Trying not to think about her anymore, he rolled out his sleeping bag and, unsure of what Nina's anger could induce, hesitantly drifted to sleep.

Less than a mile away, Nina had pulled the car off the road and into a small clearing. She was exhausted, starving, and her mood was far from improved since the fallout with Logan. Nothing like being alone on the road all day to really encourage brooding. She climbed into the back seat, trying to ignore the howling of her stomach.

"You might as well come out, Nina!"

His rough voice filled her mind. Squeezing her eyes shut, she muttered, 

"Shut up, shut up, shut up" But he was too hard to tune out. Their connection was far too strong. She curled into the fetal position, pulling the patched hood of her sweatshirt over her head.

"Shut the hell up, Logan. Yes, I can hear you, you son of a bitch. Yes, you're very clever. Shut up, shut up"

"This is stupid, Karenina!" 

His voice was deep, echoing. With her eyes closed, she could almost feel him next to her, the growl in her ear, his powerful arms around her.

"No! Shut up, Logan, goddammit! Leave me alone!" She jumped up, slamming a small fist into the back of the seat in front of her. Digging in her tattered backpack, she pulled out a walkman, held together with duct tape and rubber bands. Praying that the batteries weren't dead, she put on the headphones, and pushed the volume to ten. She then turned on the radio, setting it between stations, blasting static as loud as she could. She was too upset, angry, exhausted to control what she heardShe'd just have to mute it another way, even if it meant deafening herself. At this point it seemed a small price to pay. Exhaustion and hunger overtook her, and somehow through the roaring noise, she fell asleep, her eyes clenched in defiance of the tears that wanted so badly to fall. 

Some time later, after Logan had settled into a solid sleep, and the batteries in Nina's walkman had finally given out, the shadowed images slowly came into focus. The dream was the same for the man sprawled out on the ground as it was for the young woman curled into a trembling ball on the back seat of the stolen--no, borrowed, car. It was the same scene that had torn them from sleep countless times before, only this time there were strange flashes of other memories: Logan cage-fighting in Canada, Karenina breaking into cars in New OrleansA flash of Logan's face healing after a vicious fight with Victor Creed, Nina narrowly escaping a knife fightThe images flashed randomly through the visions of Logan, strapped to the cold metal of the experimentation table, the shadow figures and instruments of torment as vivid and terrifying as ever. In his sleep, Logan shuddered at the image of Nina, on the streets of Manhattan, almost mad, her eyes ferocious, huddled in a filthy alley, screaming and clenching her hands over her ears. In her sleep, Nina saw this too, followed by an image of Logan, wandering in the snow, ravaged by amnesia, and completely feral. The images flashed faster, strobe light memories, faster and more intense as the two sleeping figures writhed and thrashed about. Flickering like an old movie, the image of the experimentation room, the dream in which Logan first saw Nina, took over. As the small girl flashed amongst the shadowed captors, Logan reached for her in desperation. As she came closer, she flashed into the adult Karenina, then back into the child. Back and forth she flashed, her eyes blazing with pain, tears pouring down her face, The shadows laughed as Nina flickered from child to adult, and Logan roared, fighting immovable bonds to get to her. Howling her name, Logan's eyes widened as the flashes became a blinding white light, engulfing her ravaged form, now solidly adult. 

Her wail of anguish was enough to shatter your soul. It was then that he awoke, roaring, claws slashing the night air, his eyes wild. Leaping to his feet, he tore through the woods, following her scent and the echo of her scream still in his mind. As he neared the car, her scent made the hair on the back of his neck stood up. She was in the car. And she was bleeding. He called her name, his voice more of a howl than anything else. The windows were fogged over, but he knew she was there. Without thinking, he smashed one of the back windows and almost tore the door off the hinges. She was curled into a ball on the back seat, shaking, her arms covering her head, broken glass everywhere. Brushing aside the remains of the window, Logan pulled her from the car and into the cold night. Her eyes were open but unseeing, dead blue stones. Her nose was bleeding, streaming hot redness over her face and into her hair, which was soaked with sweat. It was a chilling sight, even for Logan.

"Karenina!"

She didn't respond. He held her close, listening for breath. It came, shallow, ragged. She was falling deep into shock. The gravity of the situation was quickly returning Logan to a rational state. Calling her name, checking her pulse, Logan was still rattled by the dream, but deadly calm as he tried to pull Nina back into consciousness. 

"Come on, darlinNina? Look at me, Nina, dammitCome back, kid"

He wiped the blood from her face with his sleeve, permanently attaching her scent to it. Her eyes were fixed, the shadows around them eerily stark against the deathly pale skin and the lines of blood that streaked across her cheeks. Logan's voice grew more intense. 

"Karenina? Come on, girl, don't do thisDon't let them do this to you, goddammit "

His heart was beating fiercely. He knew her mind was riddled with the agony of the dream, that she had lost herself in it. And he was right. Nina was trapped, stuck between the horror of her dreams and reality. The static between the stations. 

Logan studied her face for the first time. Nina was always moving, never giving anyone a chance to really look at her, and when she wasn't moving, that damn purple hair was always hiding her features. He hesitantly touched her face. The skin was cool, and almost gray. Logan was surprised that he was so hesitant to touch her. He had come to think of her as almost otherworldly, lurking in trees, quick as a wild animal, and with the same cautious look. With her glowing eyes and wild hair, he had once thought that all she needed was a set of wings to make her some kind of nymphSomething that only existed in stories and dreams. But she was real. And he wasn't going to let the dreams take her. He couldn't protect her when she was a kid, but goddamned if he wasn't going to now. Holding his rough hand against her face, his heart beat even faster. He had to get to her before she slipped too far away. 

"Nina? Nina, that's it, girl! I've had it with ya! Get back here and fight, godammit! Ya didn't come all this way and drive me almost outta my damn mind to let them get ya now! Come on!!! You're stronger than this! You were stronger than them when you were a kid, and yer stronger now. Fight it, Nina! Fight!"

In the haze of her mind, Nina heard somethingA voice? It was too far away to tell. There were stronger voices, telling her to ignore it, it was nothing. Embrace the quiet, the lulling static. It would make all the pain go away, all the noise. "Just let it go" the shadows whispered to her. "You'll finally be able to rest."

And Karenina wanted to rest more than anything. She was so tired. So tired of running and fighting and dreaming memories that may or may not be real. She was just so damn tired. But the voiceso far away, but it had a familiar rough tone, a gruffness that sounded so comforting, calling her nameBut it was fading, even farther away as she drifted further into the white noise. It was nothingJust another dream.

She was getting colder. Logan lifted her off the ground and climbed into the car with her, wrapping his leather jacket around her. As he lifted her up to get the jacket around her, he shivered as their faces came within inches of each other, their eyes meetingbut she didn't see him. He whispered uncharacteristically, 

"PleaseNina, don't do this. Please come back, darlinCome on"

Her lips were purple, and her breathing was more irregular. She was slipping away. A rage came over Logan that filled his whole body. Ain't no way in hell the shadows were getting her. Not now. Not today.

"Not today, Nina. You ain't dyin' today."


End file.
